Wikipedia's first sentence called it “religious practice in which a muslim seeks nearness to allah”. Today it says “arabic word that originates from the word وسيلة”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2020
Tawassul is an Arabic word originated from wa-sa-la- wasilat ( ).1 The wasilah is a means by which a person, goal or objective is approached, attained or achieved. In another version of the meaning of tawassul in another text: Tawassul is an Arabic word that comes from a verbal noun, wasilah, which according to Ibn Manzur (d. 711/1311) in Lisān al-'Arab means "a station of King, a rank, or act of devotion". In other words, it refers to a position of power due to one's proximity to the king or sovereign. While the tawassul or tawassulan is the use of wasilah for this purpose. In religious contexts, the tawassul is the use of a wasilah to arrive at or obtain favour of Allah .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 964002371.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Tawassul ( ) is a religious practice in which a Muslim seeks nearness to Allah . A rough translation would be: "To draw near to what one seeks after and to approach that which one desires." The exact definition and method of tawassul is a matter of some dispute within the Muslim community.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 359796362.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Tawassul ( ) or Waseela is the Islamic understanding of intercession . It is a religious practice in which a Muslim seeks nearness to Allah .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669505935.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Islamic understanding of intercession ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Tawassul is an Arabic word originated from wa-sa-la- wasilat (). The wasilah is a means by which a person, goal or objective is approached, attained or achieved. In another version of the meaning of tawassul in another text: Tawassul is an Arabic word that comes from a verbal noun, wasilah, which according to Ibn Manzur (d. 711/1311) in Lisān al-'Arab means "a station of King, a rank, or act of devotion". In other words, it refers to a position of power due to one's proximity to the king or sovereign. While the tawassul or tawassulan is the use of wasilah for this purpose. In religious contexts, the tawassul is the use of a wasilah to arrive at or obtain favour of Allah.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1169946016.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Islamic understanding of intercession ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Tawassul, is an Arabic word originated from 'wasilat'. The wasilah is a means by which a person, goal or objective is approached, attained or achieved. In another version of the meaning of tawassul in another text: Tawassul is an Arabic word that comes from a verbal noun, wasilah, which according to Ibn Manzur (d. 711/1311) in Lisān al-'Arab means "a station of King, a rank, or act of devotion". In other words, it refers to a position of power due to one's proximity to the king or sovereign. While the tawassul or tawassulan is the use of wasilah for this purpose. In religious contexts, the tawassul is the use of a wasilah to arrive at or obtain favour of Allah.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1292165628. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “religious practice in which a muslim seeks nearness to allah”. Today it says “arabic word that originates from the word وسيلة”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
religious practice in which a muslim seeks nearness to allah
Now
arabic word that originates from the word وسيلة
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
